5 Amazing Functional Medicine Weight Loss Steps: Step 3

Step 3. Slow down your life.

Slow down your life. Get off the treadmill. Don’t worry about keeping up with the neighbors. We feel stressed out when we maintain unrealistic expectations that we can’t achieve. Some stress is healthy but when stress gets excessive, our bodies secrete excessive amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone. From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies interpret cortisol as a marker that famine or harsh conditions are ahead and we must store food to survive the famine, breakdown muscle, collagen and skin to survive the famine. Also, cortisol will increase your appetite. You will also notice that if you’re stressed, your breathing will be more shallow and faster. Breathing deeply and slowly before a meal will help to suppress cortisol secretion and limit the cortisol response.